Contents:
List of tables/figures Glossary Acknowledgments Part 1. Longitudinal Research 1. What is longitudinal research? 1.1 The need for a definition 1.2 The development of longitudinal research: an historical overview 2. Longitudinal data; characteristics and analytical advantages 2.1 Repeated cross-sectional data 2.2 Panel design 2.3 event orientated observation design (Event History data) 2.4 'Qualitative' longitudinal sources 3. The issues of data collection and comparability within longitudinal research: some examples 3.1 Prospective studies. An example of good practices: the BHPS 3.2 Retrospective studies. How to develop, 'qualitatively', a life course study: the German Life History study (GLHS) 3.3 The issue of comparability within longitudinal research (European Community Household Panel, PACO project, PSID - GSOEP equivalent data file, EPAG data sets, CHER project) 3.3.1. Ex ante attempts 3.3.2 Ex post attempts 4. Some problems connected with longitudinal research 4.1 The limitations of repeated cross-sectional design 4.2 Problems connected with panel design 4.2.1 Timing and error reduction 4.3 Retrospective design and its drawbacks 4.4 Costs and timing of longitudinal research Part 2, Longitudinal Analysis 5. An overview of the major techniques needed to perform longitudinal analysis 5.1 Time series analysis for repeated cross-sectional data 5.2 Structural Equation Models 5.3 Log-linear and Markov Models of categorical longitudinal data 5.4 Multilevel analysis 5.5 Event history analysis 5.6 Sequence analysis Conclusions Bibliography Appendix. Description and characteristics of longitudinal data sets in Europe, Russia and North-America in chronological order Index

A New Youth? provides a cross-cultural perspective on the challenges and problems posed by young people's transition to adulthood. The authors address questions such as: What are the experiences of being young in different European countries? What can we learn about the differences of being young in non-European countries? Are young people developing new attitudes towards society? What are the risks associated with the transition of youth to adulthood? Can we identify new attitudes about citizenship? On a more general level, are there experiences and new social meanings associated with youth? The volume is comparative between various European and non-European countries in order to identify the emerging models of transition. These characteristics are connected with broader social, political and cultural changes: changes related to extended education, increasing women's participation in the labour market, changing welfare regimes, as well as changes in political regimes and in the representation and construction of individual identities and biographies, towards an increasing individualization. The work offers critical reflections in the realm of sociology of youth by providing broader understandings of the term 'youth'. The detailed analysis of new forms of marginality and social exclusion among young people offers valuable insight for policy development and political debate.

As new forms of family and 'non-traditional' families grow in number, there is a need to understand these 'new' arrangements and models of parenthood. This ground-breaking book discusses, using a comparative and a sociological perspective, examples of the relationship between changing gender identities and processes of family formation in the Western experience. It aims to show that, in the 21st century, it is possible to form a family without sex, without children, without a shared home, without a partner, without a working husband, without a heterosexual orientation or without a biological' sexual body. 'Diversity in family life' will help readers discover and understand the characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of these new models of parenthood, and their political implications in terms of social movements, characteristics and demands.

A New Youth? provides a cross-cultural perspective on the challenges and problems posed by young people's transition to adulthood. The authors address questions such as: What are the experiences of being young in different European countries? What can we learn about the differences of being young in non-European countries? Are young people developing new attitudes towards society? What are the risks associated with the transition of youth to adulthood? Can we identify new attitudes about citizenship? On a more general level, are there experiences and new social meanings associated with youth? The volume is comparative between various European and non-European countries in order to identify the emerging models of transition. These characteristics are connected with broader social, political and cultural changes: changes related to extended education, increasing women's participation in the labour market, changing welfare regimes, as well as changes in political regimes and in the representation and construction of individual identities and biographies, towards an increasing individualization. The work offers critical reflections in the realm of sociology of youth by providing broader understandings of the term 'youth'. The detailed analysis of new forms of marginality and social exclusion among young people offers valuable insight for policy development and political debate.

Fatherhood is in transition and being challenged by often contradictory forces: societal mandates to be both an active father and provider, men's own wish to be more involved with their children, and the institutional arrangements in which fathers work and live. This book explores these phenomena in the context of cross-national policies and their relation to the daily childcare practices of fathers. It presents the current state of knowledge on father involvement with young children in six countries from different welfare state regimes with unique policies related to parenting in general and fathers in particular: Finland, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, the UK and the USA.

Both research and policy on balancing work and family life have tended to focus on mothers' lives. There has been a general lack of comparative research to the complex intersection between old and new forms of masculinity; and between fatherhood, work-life balance, gender relations and children's well-being. As a result, men's fathering roles and their struggle with work-life balance have often been neglected. These cultural challenges should be better theorized within family and social policy research. This volume examines how fathers fulfill their roles both within the family and at work and what institutional support could be of most benefit to them in combining these roles.

As new forms of family and 'non-traditional' families grow in number, there is a need to understand these 'new' arrangements and models of parenthood. This ground-breaking book discusses, using a comparative and a sociological perspective, examples of the relationship between changing gender identities and processes of family formation in the Western experience. It aims to show that, in the 21st century, it is possible to form a family without sex, without children, without a shared home, without a partner, without a working husband, without a heterosexual orientation or without a biological' sexual body. 'Diversity in family life' will help readers discover and understand the characteristics, advantages and drawbacks of these new models of parenthood, and their political implications in terms of social movements, characteristics and demands.

Both research and policy on balancing work and family life have tended to focus on mothers' lives. There has been a general lack of comparative research to the complex intersection between old and new forms of masculinity; and between fatherhood, work-life balance, gender relations and children's well-being. As a result, men's fathering roles and their struggle with work-life balance have often been neglected. These cultural challenges should be better theorized within family and social policy research. This volume examines how fathers fulfill their roles both within the family and at work and what institutional support could be of most benefit to them in combining these roles.

This book examines the lifestyles, expectations and plans of Millennials and Generation Z and how they are redefining tourism. It demonstrates that if the tourism industry is to enjoy future growth, it must understand and meet the particular needs of these two generations. The volume explores the present and future challenges faced by the tourism industry as a result of the generational turnover, and seeks to answer the following questions: What contribution can the new generations make to the future of tourism? How are technological advancements and social networks shaping future travel trends? Can a generational perspective be useful to help the tourism industry recover from the COVID-19 crisis? The book will be of interest to researchers and students of sociology and tourism studies, as well as tourism professionals.

One of the major changes in the social science research landscape in recent years has been the introduction of computerised panel surveys in Europe and the US which make longitudinal data widely available to graduate students for the first time. Elisabetta Ruspini here provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the issues involved in this kind of research. This book:
* Defines the concept of longitudinal research * Gives guidance on sources of longitudinal data in Europe and the US and their strengths and weaknesses * Discusses the choices that need to be made in this kind of research - for instance the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of research data and of different types of analysis * Highlights some of the problems involved, e.g. the issue of comparability within longitudinal research.

This book examines the lifestyles, expectations and plans of Millennials and Generation Z and how they are redefining tourism. It demonstrates that if the tourism industry is to enjoy future growth, it must understand and meet the particular needs of these two generations. The volume explores the present and future challenges faced by the tourism industry as a result of the generational turnover, and seeks to answer the following questions: What contribution can the new generations make to the future of tourism? How are technological advancements and social networks shaping future travel trends? Can a generational perspective be useful to help the tourism industry recover from the COVID-19 crisis? The book will be of interest to researchers and students of sociology and tourism studies, as well as tourism professionals.

The transformations that are now taking place in women's lives are of great interest to social scientists and policy makers, yet we know very little about the impact of this social change over time. This new study uses longitudinal data - information gathered over a considerable period of time - to provide new insights into the changing dynamics of lives of women today. In particular, it explores the potential of longitudinal or life course analysis as a powerful tool for appreciating the gender dimension of social life. The contributors view the data from a policy perspective and use comparative analysis from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan to expand our understanding of women's life courses in relation to both men and women and the system of inequality.